Symbolism In The Giver By Louis Lowry

In the book The Giver, Louis Lowry uses symbolism to induce the reader to think about the significance of an object or character in the book. She uses symbolism using objects or characters to represent something when she wants readers to think about its significance. She chooses not to tell her readers directly, but indirectly, by using symbolism. For example, she used light eyes, Gabriel and the sled as types of symbols with different meanings.

In the Giver, Jonas has pale and lighter eyes compared to the rest of the community. This makes Jonas stand out from the community. Most people in Jonas’s community have dark eyes. There were a few exceptions like Jonas who have different lighter eyes. They were the Giver of memory, Gabriel and a girl.

It is mentioned in the novel that light eyes and pale were not only a rarity but they also gave one a certain look “depth”. This shows that people with such eyes have the ability to “see beyond”, to see and understand things in depth that other people cannot see. Being able to see more deeply into objects, Jonas can see colour. Jonas’s perception of colour symbolises his perception of the complicated emotions and sensations that other people cannot perceive. He sees life differently from the rest of the community. People with pale eyes are unique. They can experience memories, emotions, see colour and hear music.